Diplomatic corps and media shown how ministry controls house arrests

The Minister of Corrections of Georgia has hosted representatives of the diplomatic corps and the media at the newly-established Electric Monitoring Centre of the National Probation Agency, which carries out remote control of juvenile convicts under house arrest.

Minister Kakha Kakhishvili told the guests that through relevant devices, the Centre successfully controlled juvenile convicts without sending them to prisons.

The minister praised the new practice of monitoring house arrests which was launched in Georgia from January 1 2016, and said the Ministry planned to increase the number of convicts - not only juveniles - who would be able to serve their sentences at home.

Kakhishvili said that house arrest, in cases of minor crimes, decreased the number of inmates in prisons, was safe for public as relevant bodies controlled such convicts and enabled offenders to continue their previous activities without the need of post-prison re-socialisation.

The Minister announced his body planned to purchase a special server soon through which the Centre would control the 1,000 convicts under house arrest simultaneously.

The guests could also view handicrafts and different items made by prisoners with suspended sentences, who could produce the objects at a wood processing plant located in one of prisons’ areas.

The inmates were paid for their jobs, as the Ministry sells everything they produce.

Kakhishvili said the approach also helped prisoners, as they would be able to easily find jobs in the future and successfully reintegrate into society.

The approach that Georgia is gradually introducing is good for the state and also for convicted criminals.

With this step, the Government will also reduce expenses for reintegration programmes and psychological assistance.

One of the biggest problems for former prisoners in Georgia is finding a job after release; they suffer from social stigma and the simple lack of jobs.

The Government will also have to settle both of these problems for Georgia to have a markedly improved situation in its penal sector.